She will probably never know it, but I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Gerri Halliwell (of Spice Girls fame, of course) because a few years back she was the catalyst for me wanting to throw a brick through my tv!  This surge of rage was followed immediately by the desire to get up off my sofa and do something really worthwhile with my life (apart from bringing up my daughters, of course).  Let me explain.

She was on the news for having been appointed a UN Ambassador for Women and I was incensed (no offence, Geri) because as an ordinary woman endeavouring to raise my family of four, I couldn’t relate to her, she was a single woman with no chldren (at the time) who’d made loads of money singing in a girl band.

I subsequently shared my frustration with my friend Ashley, and when I expressed an ambition to be appointed a UN Ambassador for Mothers, he didn’t laugh but pointed out that being the subversive I am, I’d find it difficult to toe the UN party line!  He also pointed out that if I removed the heady prefix of UN, I was already an ambassador for mothers.

It had never occurred to me before, but he was absolutely right.  Like it or not and whatever role we’ve adopted in our family/society, our behaviours come under scrutiny by someone or other – our bosses, our partners, our parents, our children (they’re the most critical!), our next door neighbours….we’re all looking for ideas/hope/someone with good ideas to lead us where we want to go. Geri made me realise that I’d better pull my socks up, just in case someone was watching who I was being!

So, if you know Geri personally, please thank her – she has been the catalyst for many great things in my life including a renewed sense of purpose, greater self-discipline, an expanding vision….so maybe she was a good choice for the UN Ambassador for women after all…..she certainly inspired at least one other woman! Thanks for spicing up my life, Geri!